1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, for example, to a receiver suitable for a car-mounted radio receiver.
2. Description of Related Art
For example, the car-mounted radio receiver has been provided with the function of automatically memorizing station-selection information for selecting the frequency of the broadcast signal capable of being received in the area by designating an area where the radio receiver is used, what is called, an area call function (hereafter in the present specification referred to as "an area station-selection-information-setting function").
To realize this function, information relating to a station selection for each predetermined area comprising, for example, the name of broadcasting station for broadcasting a broadcast program capable of being received, the base frequency of the broadcasting station, and the frequency of the satellite station of the broadcasting station (hereinafter referred to as the "satellite frequency"), is memorized in the memory of the radio receiver and is supplied to a user.
When the above-mentioned function is performed in the radio receiver and the area where the radio receiver is used is selected by an operator, the basic frequency and the satellite frequency are selected automatically in sequence for each broadcasting station whose broadcast can be received in the area on the basis of the information relating to the station selection in the selected area, and the broadcast frequency which can be received in the best receiving conditions is detected for each broadcasting station.
Then, on the basis of the results of detection, the information relating to the station selection for selecting the broadcast frequency which can be received in the best conditions is selected for each broadcasting station and is memorized in a preset memory in correspondence to a station-selecting key. In this case, the station-selecting key corresponding to the information relating to the station selection is determined in advance for every broadcasting station, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, the first station-selecting key is for Broadcasting station A and the second station-selecting key is for broadcasting station B and so on.
In the case of FIG. 1, when the first station-selecting key is operated, the broadcast frequency of the Broadcasting station A is selected and when the second station-selecting key is operated, the broadcast frequency of the broadcasting station B is selected. In this way, the broadcast frequency of the objective broadcasting station corresponding to the station-selecting key is selected only by operating the station-selection operating key.
By the way, in the case of the above-mentioned area station-selection-information setting function, even if there is a broadcasting station that should broadcast a broadcast program capable of being received in the area designated by the operator, there is a case where the area is mountainous and hence the broadcast program can not be received in the good conditions.
Nevertheless, at least a piece of information for selecting the broadcast frequency of the broadcasting station is memorized in the preset memory in correspondence to the station-selecting key. Further, as described above, the station-selecting key corresponding to the station-selection information for selecting the broadcast frequency of the broadcasting station which should broadcast the broadcast program capable of being received in the area is determined in advance for every broadcasting station.
Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, even if the information for selecting the broadcast frequency of the broadcasting station whose broadcast can be received in the area is memorized in the preset memory in correspondence to the station-selecting key by means of the area station-selection-information-setting function, there are cases where only the broadcast frequencies of a Broadcasting station A and a broadcasting station D can be received in reality and the broadcast frequencies of a broadcasting station B and a broadcasting station C can not be received.
As described above, even if the information relating to station-selection is automatically memorized in the preset memory by use of the area station-selection-information-setting function, there are cases where it is difficult to find the station-selecting key corresponding to the memory in which the information relating to the station selection for selecting the broadcast frequency capable of being actually received is preset.
Further, for example, even if a broadcasting station has a plurality of different satellite frequencies in the area designated by the operator, only information relating to the station selection of the broadcast frequency which should be received in the best conditions is memorized in the preset memory.
However, if a car provided with the car-mounted radio receiver moves, there may be cases where the other different broadcast frequency of the same broadcasting station can be received in better conditions. In this case, the operator is required again to operate the area station-selection-information-setting function and to preset in the preset memory the information for selecting the broadcast frequency capable of being received. This is a cumbersome work for the operator.
In particular, in the case of the car-mounted radio receiver, as described above, if the broadcast frequency capable of being received can not be selected instantly or the information for selecting the broadcast frequency capable of being received is required to be preset again frequently, the radio receiver not only has a poor usability but also increases station-selection operations. This is a problem from the viewpoint of safety.
Further, the broadcast frequencies of the broadcasting stations A to D are preset in the preset recording region in the area where the broadcast frequencies shown in FIG. 1 are preset. That is, in FIG. 1, the broadcast frequencies of the broadcasting stations A to D are preset in the preset recording regions of preset numbers 1 to 4 and the preset recording regions of preset numbers 5 to 10 are vacant. In this way, the radio receiver has many vacant preset recording regions in some area and hence does not utilize the memory effectively.